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Syrians in government areas vote in first local polls since 2011
Updated On: 17 September, 2018 09:21 AM IST | Damascus | AFP
Syria last held local elections in December 2011, just nine months into the conflict. It held parliamentary elections in 2016 and a presidential vote in 2014 that renewed Assad's reign for another seven years
Syrians in government-controlled areas cast their ballots on Sunday in the first local elections there since 2011, when the country's ill-fated uprising erupted against President Bashar al-Assad's rule. Seven years since the last vote, the conflict has killed more than 360,000 people, forced millions more to flee, and left the economy in tatters.
Now, Syrian troops are back in control of around two-thirds of the country after a string of victories, most recently around Damascus and in southern Syria. Polling booths opened at 7:00 am (local time) across government-held parts of the country and will be open for 12 hours, with a potential five-hour extension depending on turnout, reported state news agency SANA. It said more than 40,000 candidates would compete for 18,478 seats on local administrative councils. In Damascus, election posters mostly featuring incumbents were plastered across public squares, including in the Old City. Mohammad Kabbadi, a 42-year-old government employee, cast his ballot in the Bab Sharqi district of the capital for a candidate from his neighbourhood.
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